Why is fiscal responsibility considered "conservative"?

[AJH032]

I'm so tired of hearing people say that balancing the budget and being fiscally responsible means being fiscally conservative. If anything, it's being fiscally progressive. Democrats are the ones who decrease the deficit, decrease debt, increase revenue, not Republicans. Deficit and debt shrink under Democratic presidents and increase under Republican presidents. So why the hell is being fiscally responsible considered a conservative value? Progressives should be the one taking responsible for being fiscally responsible, not conservatives. And to take things further, why is it that Republicans get better ratings on the economy as a whole, while Democrats have better records on every important economic stat (jobs, inflation, GDP, etc)?

Sorry, just ranting...

[ironman202]

1. the fruits of 30 years of repeating "Tax & Spend"...

[RobertSeattle]

2. Yep

I have a quip from someone that I keep:

"If fiscal responsibility, paying down the debt, not mucking with the Constitution for political gain, respecting person privacy, reducing the size of government are "Conservative" ideals, then Clinton/Gore was the greatest Conservative administration ever."

[wli]

3. propaganda

The neofascists are anything but fiscally conservative.

[Ready4Change]

4. My opinion on this has changed recently.

I used to think it was because conservatives in government control their spending, believing in smaller government and lower tax burdens, while liberals believe in spending to fund social plans, etc...

But the last several conservative controlled congresses and senates, along with the Bush White house, have convinced me otherwise.

I now believe whoever is in control of the purse strings spends to better get votes. Conservatives for a long time were kept away from those purse strings by liberal control of Congress. In that situation, they devised the strategy of lambasting liberals for uncontrolled spending, taking the higher ground of supposedly being able to control their own spending habits.

[zoeb]

5. Well, that was old school politics

and I think it went out after Gingrich did his contract to balance the budget under the Clinton administration. Dumbya can't hold a candle to the 20 million jobs created during the Clinton administration which helped to balance the budget.

[Robert Oak]

6. labels

they seem to be meaningless more and more.

I take "moderate" to mean member of the corporate party
but there is no rhyme or reason due to so many policies really being corporate policies versus ideology policies.

[German-Lefty]

7. A nice friendly answer

Because a long long time ago like maybe around Hoover's time, we didn't deficit spend like we do today. Conservative means to want to preserve what is now or resurrect what was a while ago. Religious conservatives want to preserve or bring back the dark ages.

Liberal or what we call neo-libral in Europe used to mean you were a big fan of the free market and against government intervention. In countries with 4+ parties you've usually got a liberal party like the FDP(at least if they would stand for something) in Germany.

[badger1080]

8. responsible=less spending

Fiscal responsibility is, IMO, associated with less spending than with balancing budgets. Conservatives do, in general, want less spending/ smaller govt. Of course this doesn't apply necessarily to those who are conservative because of non-economic issues. Also, I think your confusion comes because you think Republican politicians are economically conservative.

[Lefty48197]

9. Because Republicans are fiscally responsible

That's what they told me before Reagan came to town and ballooned the debt and deficits. That's what they told me before Bush Sr. did the same. They told me Bill Clinton would balloon the deficit, before he wiped it out, and turned it into a surplus. Then they told me Bush Jr. would be fiscally responsible, before he turned the largest surplus in American history into the largest debt in American history. That's why Americans think Republicans are fiscally responsible.

[frankly_fedup2]

10. Well Democrats use common sense. You do not give a tax cut

during wartime, especially one that helps out corporations It's just a stupid thing to do. Democrats do not believe in corporate welfare. Oil companies are making over 50% profit now, but with the new "Energy Bill" those big oil companies got a lot of tax breaks and subsidies. Plus the estate tax. What a joke. That only applies if the amount someone inherits is over $400,000. Maybe $600,000. Cannot remember off the top of my head right now.

Bush has done more to hurt this country, hurt the hard working peoples' pockets, as well as this country's image around the world than the whole last 225 years combined.

I think he has "chronies" (Brown's gone but whoop-de-doo. Now if we could get Rumsfield, Cheney, and Bush gone, we could start healing from their rape of our and the world's resources, the environment, and their could-care-less attitude and non-belief in Global warming).

But what is so amazing is these poor, dumb so-called "Christians" claim he is a wonderful, "Godly" man and they support him 100%. They cannot even see how he has used the name of God and Christianity to move their agenda on, and they will not be done until this country falls. After all, their REAL home and support is in Saudi Arabia and with companies like Halliburton, Bechtle, Kellogg, and whatever subsiderary is included with the big contrators.

Three more years of lies. I laughed when I saw someone post something about a Revolution to take our country back. I said there is no way militarily that we could fight our own soldiers, plus, our weaponry would be nothing compared to theirs. Then I was reading some history and saw where American Citizens went for help when they were trying to keep this country away from the British King and Church and trying to make sure that this country would not be like the one they just left. Who do you think it was that helped us, and if they had not done so, Tony Blair would be our Prime minister? (not as bad as Bush). It was the country the administration loves to hate . . . FRANCE. I wonder if France would consider it again???? "Freedom Fries" my ass.

[ladylibertee]

11. "Sorry, just ranting.".. and RIGHTFULLY so. I too share your views

I wish Democratically elected officials would express this more often.I suspect they do not which contributes to this thinking.